TEMPE, Ariz. -- It's been 18 days since the Arizona Cardinals fired coach Jonathan Gannon, and they are still searching for their next head coach.
Despite trying to keep this year's search close to the vest, they've been connected to at least 13 candidates through multiple reports. However, unlike other teams who are also searching for head coaches, such as the Las Vegas Raiders and Baltimore Ravens, the Cardinals aren't publicly announcing their interviews.
As their search nears the three-week mark on Monday, Arizona is reportedly having a second interview with Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile. No other second interviews have been reported.
Arizona is one of five teams, out of 10 total, that still has a head-coaching vacancy. There's precedent for the Cardinals to be among the last teams to fill a head-coaching vacancy. Arizona was the last to hire a coach in 2023, when they hired Gannon, and in 2013, when they hired Bruce Arians. In 2019, the Cardinals were quick to hire Kliff Kingsbury, since he was coming from the collegiate ranks. In 2018, when Arizona hired Steve Wilks, the Cardinals were also late in the process, bringing him on board on Jan. 22, 2018.
On Jan. 5, during the Cardinals' postseason news conference, general Monti Ossenfort said hiring a coach "is not a quick process," but he added that the Cardinals didn't want it to be quick.
"This is an important decision that [owner] Michael [Bidwill] and I are going to undertake, and, so, we are going to be thorough. We're going to look at a wide range of candidates, and because of the NFL rules [as] they stand with timing of when we can talk to guys that are still in the playoffs, this is not a process that's going to be quick.
"And, so, a timeline, no, but we're going to be ready and we're going to be aggressive with our search and we're going to be thorough with our search. And when we find the right guy, we're going to be aggressive to go get them."
Besides having a preliminary call with new Giants coach John Harbaugh, Arizona has been linked to Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, former Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, new Titans coach Robert Saleh, Broncos and former Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Patriots passing game coordinator Thomas Brown, Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, former Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula and Campanile.
Of those, Saleh and Minter -- hired by the Ravens on Thursday -- are off the board, and Kubiak, Joseph, LaFleur, Brown and Shula are still in the playoffs. Six of the candidates are from the offensive side of the ball while seven are defensive-minded. However, Ossenfort said Arizona wasn't going to commit to picking a coach based on which side of the ball they've specialized in.
"We want the best head coach and the best fit for us," Ossenfort said.
Ossenfort said Arizona is looking for a "strong leader" who can create accountability and dependability in the locker room.
However, Bidwill wouldn't commit publicly to spending top dollar to attract a coach to a team that has been to the playoffs just once in the last 10 years.
"I'm not going to negotiate the contract here with you, but we're looking forward to going out there and putting a winning coach in this position and having wins," Bidwill said. "And that's what I'm focused on."
Bidwill also levied heavy expectations on his next head coach, saying the decision to fire Gannon was based on wins and losses and adding that he wants the next coach to produce a quick turnaround like teams such as the Jaguars and Seahawks have done with their recent hires.
"And I hope it's going to be in the first year, not in the second year," Bidwill said. "But we're confident that our search is going to be thorough, it's going to be broad, and we're going to select the right coach."